Politicians opt out of Missouri race for governor

The list of aspirants for Missouri governors continued to shrink this week as several candidates took themselves out of the running to replace departing incumbent Gov. Matt Blunt.

Senate Majority Leader Charlie Shields, R-St. Joseph, said he would not seek the office. Instead, Shields said, he will strive to become president pro tem of the Missouri Senate, the highest position in the state’s upper chamber of the General Assembly. "I felt I could have put together some very strong coalitions including the education, higher education, health and mental health communities, coupled with the broad support from the western side of the state," Shields said in a statement. "However, at this time, I am dedicated to my fellow Republican senators and will focus on keeping and expanding the Republican majority in the Senate."

Shields added in the statement that he wanted to narrow the GOP field further. Candidates include U.S. Rep. Kenny Hulshof, R-Columbia, Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder and state Treasurer Sarah Steelman. "We have a group of well-qualified Republican candidates that are interested in running for governor," Shields said. "I will work every day to unify Republicans behind one candidate. There are very clear and real differences between our Republican candidates and Jay Nixon."

House Speaker Rod Jetton, R-Marble Hill, told the Associated Press he would also not run for governor. He told media outlets last week that he wouldn’t run if Hulshof ran.

The field also narrowed on the Democratic side. Secretary of State Robin Carnahan ruled out a gubernatorial run yesterday, taking away a potential costly challenge to Attorney General Jay Nixon. "Democrats have a great opportunity to change the direction of our state and refocus on issues that matter to Missouri families," Carnahan said in a statement. "I intend to work to help elect Democrats at every level including doing all I can to help Jay Nixon become our next governor."

Before she decided yesterday to run for re-election as secretary of state rather than governor, Carnahan got support from an unlikely source - retired businessman Rex Sinquefield. Sinquefield, a prominent political donor that at one point gave Blunt $100,000, said he would like to see Carnahan in a race against Nixon.

"I’d like to see her run, frankly," Sinquefield said in an interview with the Tribune. "Because I think she would be better than Nixon. … It’s always better to have stronger candidates, regardless of which party."

Sinquefield, who considers Carnahan a friend, added that he wouldn’t necessarily back Carnahan had she decided to run for governor and that they are far apart on the political issues of the day.